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Shaleen Title, a commissioner on the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission and a leader at the forefront of health equity and social justice within the cannabis space, will be the keynote speaker for the 2019 North American Cannabis Summit being held in Los Angeles from January 28 to 30.

Commissioner Title was jointly appointed last year by the Massachusetts governor, treasurer, and attorney general to serve on the Cannabis Control Commission—the independent state agency charged with regulating the legal marijuana industry. Before her appointment, Commissioner Title co-authored the Massachusetts marijuana legalization referendum. She has consulted on state and local marijuana policy around the country and been a leader in providing legal consulting and expertise on marijuana regulation.

Commissioner Title served as founder of a women-led recruiting firm and as a founding board member of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, where she led the drafting of the first model bill created to give states guidance to implement a process of reinvestment and reconciliation. She was named to the Boston Business Journal’s 2018 list of the 50 most powerful people in Boston and has won several awards for her advocacy work and her efforts to bring more women and people of color into drug policy reform and the cannabis industry.

During her tenure in the Commission’s social justice seat, Commissioner Title was instrumental in helping Massachusetts establish the nation’s first statewide marijuana industry equity program. This program prioritizes economic empowerment in communities disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition and encourages full participation in the marijuana industry by the residents of those communities.

"We are thrilled that Commissioner Title has agreed to serve as the Summit's keynote speaker," said Linda Frazier, 2019 Summit Chair. "She played a key role in making the Social Equity Program a reality in Massachusetts and is the ideal person to address strategies for decreasing racial and economic disparities around legalized cannabis."

Commissioner Title’s keynote speech will touch on policy approaches being used to reduce barriers to business and public health participation by communities of color in new legal markets, along with other public health, health equity, and social justice considerations that may be overlooked during the rapid and tumultuous process of cannabis legalization.

The 2019 North American Cannabis Summit is an objective forum to address public health, science, and health equity in this time of expanding cannabis legalization and decriminalization across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. For more information, visit the 2019 Summit website at http://northamericancannabissummit.org/